William Corby

William Corby (2 October 1833-28 December 1897) was an American Catholic priest who served as the US Irish Brigade's chaplain.

Biography
William Corby was born in Detroit, Michigan on 2 October 1833 to Irish and Canadian immigrant parents, and he became a Catholic priest and a teacher at Notre Dame University. During the American Civil War, Corby served as chaplain of the 88th New York Infantry, a volunteer regiment in the US Irish Brigade. At the Battle of Gettysburg, he mounted a boulder and administered absolution to praying Irish soldiers, with some Protestant soldiers joining in prayer, as they figured that doing so couldn't hurt their chances of going to Heaven. Corby refused to pray for the Confederates, saying that he could not pray for men who had turned against their countries. From 1866 to 1872 and from 1877 to 1881, he served as President of Notre Dame, and he died in South Bend, Indiana in 1897.